


how sweet it is

by interstellarbeams



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Pancakes, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 00:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17693999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstellarbeams/pseuds/interstellarbeams
Summary: Wyatt makes pancakes with his daughters on Valentine’s Day.





	how sweet it is

**Author's Note:**

> Lizzie and Gretchen are godsends for being my sounding boards and approving my fluff choices. 
> 
> My addition to Lyattverse (Twitter) - Lyatt Week 
> 
> You might want to hold off on the sweets after this one! ;) Title is from _How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)_ \- Marvin Gaye. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated! <3

_But you brightened up all of my days_

_With a love so sweet in so many ways_

_How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)_ \- Marvin Gaye

The winter sunlight shining through the kitchen window glinted off the metal measuring cups where they rested on the countertop. A red bowl sat next to the sink and the surrounding countertop was littered with broken egg shells, sprinkles of flour and droplets of milk. The bag of chocolate chips spilled it’s bounty across the cookbook cover and giggles filled the air.

Wyatt stood in the doorway to the kitchen, silently watching his daughters’ attempts to make pancakes and instead make a mess of his clean kitchen. They were oblivious to his presence and they stuck their fingers in the bowl and licked them clean, before wiping them on their nightgowns dusted with flour. 

Wyatt shook his head at their antics but he was happy to see them working together to fulfill their task despite the mess that they had created while doing so. After a few moments he snuck up behind them, where they stood on chairs commandeered from the kitchen table and poked them in the sides with quick hands.

“What are you doing?” He asked as they shrieked and whirled to face him, the whisk that they had used to mix the batter, dripping onto the wood floors. 

“Daddy!” Flynn giggled, as she brushed a hand down her nightgown, all traces of guilt for being caught without supervision disappearing as she laid on the charm. 

Amy stared at him with wide eyes, her fingers twisted together in front of her, enough guilt for the both of them evident in her body language. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Wyatt placed his hands on his hips as he watched them.

“We’re making pancakes!” Flynn exclaimed, throwing out one hand and almost knocking the jug of milk off the counter and Wyatt had to jump to keep the entire gallon from pouring out over the floor.

“Oopsie,” Flynn pressed a hand over her mouth while Wyatt screwed the lid back on the milk carton. 

“I think you made pancake batter,” Wyatt frowned at them, sternly, “but you know you aren’t allowed to use the stove. How did you think you were going to make the pancakes? Huh?”

Amy climbed down off her chair and wrapped her arm around him in a one armed hug, “Sorry, daddy, we just wanted to make you and mommy pancakes.” 

“It’s okay,” Wyatt rubbed his hand down Amy’s head, “but maybe let daddy handle the cooking, okay?”

Wyatt reached over and lifted Flynn off the chair, “Now, go wash your hands in the bathroom, okay? Then you can come back and help me.” 

They both ran off to do what he asked and he turned back to the messy kitchen counter. Picking up the trash can he tossed the eggshells in and glancing into the bowl, that they used to make the batter, he saw eggshells sitting on top and dumped that as well. Setting the bowl in the sink, he hummed under his breath as he dampened a rag and wiped down the countertop. 

The girls came running back to the kitchen, their little feet thumping on the wood flooring. Amy came up to Wyatt and he dropped the rag on the counter to pick her up and smack a loud kiss on her cheek. She giggled and clung to his neck while Flynn hopped back into her chair and snuck chocolate chips into her mouth. 

Wyatt set Amy down in the second chair and snatched up the bag of chocolate chips and put it back in the cabinet amidst Flynn’s complaints.

“We’re about to have breakfast. No complaining.” Wyatt booped her on the nose with one finger and she smiled.

“Now get me another bowl while I fix your Mommy coffee.”

Flynn hopped down to grab another bowl while Wyatt turned to the coffee maker. Once the coffee was percolating, Wyatt turned back to making the pancakes.

“Alright, first let's pour the milk and take out the eggs we’re going to use and then put the rest of the milk and the carton back in the fridge, okay? We don’t want to leave those out.”

The girls both nodded their heads. Amy solemnly while Flynn copied her sister except for the seriousness. Flynn was more like a independent hummingbird flitting between blooms while Amy was the fawn who followed its mother, quiet and watchful. 

“Do you think you can put these back, _carefully_?” Wyatt asked as he handed the egg carton to Flynn who nodded eagerly and hopped down off her chair to cross to the fridge. Wyatt watched her but she did a good job of opening the fridge door with one hand while also balancing the eggs.

“Good job!” Wyatt praised her when she came back to her chair and she smiled proudly up at him. 

Wyatt poured the milk and put it away, promising Amy another job to complete since the milk was too heavy. The both of them had probably worked together to get it down earlier.

“How about you help me with the eggs, Amy?” Amy nodded and he handed her one, scooting the bowl closer so that she could reach better.

“Let’s try not to get any shells in it this time, okay?” Wyatt winked at Amy, who smiled shyly.

“We take it like this,” Wyatt lifted the second egg to show her, “and we hit it carefully on the edge of the bowl, like this.” 

Wyatt hit the egg on the side of the bowl and showed her the small crack that had formed, “Then we put both hands on it and pry it open like this and we pour it in, see?”

Flynn looked on with interest, leaning around her sister so that she could see better with her hands braced on the countertop. 

“Do you want to try?”

“Yes,” Amy lisped, her _s_ held out. 

“Okay, go for it!” 

Amy carefully hit the egg on the side of the bowl and pulled it back but the egg had no crack. She frowned, her tongue between her teeth as she hit it again, this time putting a big crack in it and she looked startled when she turned it over and it leaked out a little white onto her hand.

“That’s okay,” Wyatt assured her as he helped her empty out the contents which plopped into the bowl with the other, the yolk splitting and leaking yellow into the white.

“Good job, Amy! Here,” he offered her a dishcloth which she wiped her sticky fingers on, “Now let’s wash those hands. We always wash our hands after handling eggs.” 

“Okay!” Amy clambered down from her chair using one hand and climbed onto the small stool in front of the kitchen sink so that she could wash her hands.

After a few moments of the water running, Wyatt called over his shoulder, “Turn the faucet off now. No playing in the water.” 

The water shut off instantly and Wyatt couldn’t hold in a smile as he watched her come back over. _And Lucy thought she was the only one with eyes in the back of her head._

Wyatt figured he probably wouldn’t be quite as observant if he hadn’t been a member of special forces plus the quiet front, that so many people thought was him not being social, was beneficial because it helped him to easily notice other things.

“Will you hand me that flour bag, Flynn?” Wyatt asked and Flynn picked it up, but when she went to set it down on the counter she dropped it and flour puffed up into her face.

She coughed, white powder covering her face and Wyatt winced. 

“Oops! Sorry, baby, come here,” Wyatt wet a new rag at the sink and bent down in front of her.

“Are you okay under there?” He teased as he wiped off her face, “There, good as new. Want to get back to it?”

“Yeah!” She cheered, “Pancakes, pancakes!” 

“You’re sure you want pancakes now? I’m not making these for nothing, am I?”

“We want pancakes, daddy.” Amy added, pouting out her bottom lip. 

“Of course you do! How silly of me?” 

“Silly daddy!” Amy crowed, her pouting lip forgotten just like yesterday’s new toy.

“Silly willy, daddy!” Flynn copied Amy and they giggled together while Wyatt rinsed the flour covered rag and laid it over the edge of the sink.

“I think I need the sugar next,” Wyatt added as he opened the cookbook to check the measurements, “but first I see some sugar right here!”

Wyatt kissed Flynn’s round cheek, wrapping an arm around Amy and smooching her cheek as well. 

“Daddy, stop!” Flynn complained, pushing her hands against his restraining arm and he let go, pretending offense. 

“I guess I’ll have to get all my sugar supply from Amy now. What do you think about that?” He asked Amy, who considered the question before snuggling her head up against Wyatt’s neck.

“Don’t forget about mommy, daddy.”

“I won’t. I have enough to share with all of you.” Wyatt replied, seriously. 

The fact that he was so lucky, would never cease to amaze him. He never would have thought this was where he would end up, when he was living in an underground bunker five years ago. He wouldn’t have ever imagined he could have even the smallest sliver of happiness after everything that he had been through, but here he was. 

Wyatt kissed the side of Amy’s head again, breathing in her sweet lavender scent and relishing the sweetness of her small arms around his neck. He rubbed her back for a moment before he pulled away.

“Come on! We better hurry up! Or we’ll be eating breakfast for dinner!” 

“What’s next?” Flynn asked as she peered at the cookbook, which she couldn’t read but she tried nevertheless.

“The sugar remember!” Wyatt pulled the sugar out of the cabinet and scooped it out with the measuring cup, handing it to Flynn so that she could pour it in. 

Wyatt whisked the ingredients together briskly while the girls watched, their eyes big despite the fact that Wyatt made pancakes for them regularly and they had seen him mix the batter before. 

“I think we’re missing something… what could it be?” Wyatt placed a finger on his chin like he was thinking hard about the missing ingredient.

“Chocolate chips, Daddy! Chocolate chips!”

“Oh yeah!” Wyatt opened the cabinet and pulled them back out, “Tell me when now,” he said as he poured.

The girls were quiet and he figured they would probably accept nothing less than the whole bag but Amy finally piped up and told him to stop.

“Perfect!” Flynn clapped her hands excitedly.

“Now daddy’s going to cook them, why don’t you go and color at the table, okay?”

The girls gave the pancake batter one last longing look before they climbed down from the kitchen chairs and went over to the bookshelf in the corner to get out their crayons and coloring books. Wyatt put the pan on the burner to preheat while he carried the chairs back to the table so that everything would be ready when their breakfast was done.

————

Lucy sighed as she sat up against the pillows. She stretched out her arms, surprised to see bright sunlight outside the window instead of the predawn grey of her usual mornings when little girls came bounding in to wake her up before the alarm clock even had a chance. _Wyatt must have let me sleep in_ , she thought to herself as she pushed the comforter back and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

She slipped her feet into the slippers beside her bed, the buttery scent of something delicious leading her down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

Wyatt stood at the stove. His t-shirt was wrinkled from sleep but the smile that he offered when he noticed her was brighter than the morning sun and Lucy smiled back.

“Morning sleepyhead,” Wyatt turned back to the pan, spatula in hand.

“Sleepyhead,” Amy parroted as she jumped up from her seat at the table and ran over to hug her mom, smiling up at her when Lucy wrapped her arms around her.

“Good morning,” Lucy walked over and gave Wyatt a kiss as Amy climbed back onto the bench along the far side of the table and went back to her coloring page.

“Whatcha doin’?” Lucy asked as she wrapped her arms around Wyatt’s waist and leaned against him. 

“Flipping pancakes,” Wyatt answered, as he slipped one arm around her, the silky fabric of her kimono cool against his hand. 

“Mmm, looks good. You must have had some help.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because there’s chocolate chips in those heart-shaped pancakes.”

“Are there?” Wyatt pretended like he didn’t see them as he placed the finished pancake on top of the stack already on the serving plate.

“Will you fix me some coffee?” Lucy asked, innocently, reaching to grab a pancake when he turned his back. 

“No ma’am,” Wyatt smirked, catching her with a quick grab of her wrist and she pouted before setting it back down, “You can’t eat before the girls. I made them wait too.”

“l know,” Lucy replied, licking her fingers free of the melted chocolate. Wyatt watched her intently and she winked at him, laughing when he glared back.

“Mommy, mommy!” Flynn came running across the floor, her socks sliding against the slick wood and sending her flying into Lucy’s legs. She was unprepared for the forty pound weight cannonballing into the back of her knees and she fell into Wyatt who caught her but landed against the edge of the counter with an expelled pain-filled breath. 

“Flynn!” Lucy half-scolded, half-laughed as she pulled back from Wyatt’s grip, who had dropped the spatula on the floor when Lucy had collided with him, “Sorry, honey.” 

Amy watched worriedly from the kitchen table as Lucy lifted Wyatt’s shirt to assess the damage but he only had a sore, red spot that might turn into a bruise later. 

“Sorry, daddy,” Flynn cringed, showing pearly baby teeth, as she moved closer. 

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Lucy smoothed a hand over Flynn’s head, “maybe next time you shouldn’t run in the kitchen, okay? We don’t want anyone to get seriously hurt.” 

”Okay,” she answered, confidently before she walked over to the kitchen table with a steady, slow pace.

Wyatt shook his head at their silly girl but he wouldn’t change a thing about her. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Lucy asked, with concern, like he hadn’t been hurt worse before and survived. 

“I’ll be fine, Lucy.” 

She watched him for another moment, admiring his slightly messy hair and the scruff that he had yet to shave off that morning, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Wyatt replied back, bending to kiss her, his arms slipping back around her waist and pulling her in.

They probably would have stayed like that if the acrid scent of burning pancake hadn’t interrupted and Wyatt swore as he reached over to grab the pancake out of the pan, with a muttered oath for his burnt fingers as he tossed it into the trash.

“Wyatt, _language_ ,” Lucy warned, while the girls giggled behind their hands at the table. 

Lucy winked at them before bending down to pick up the dropped spatula and setting it into the sink along with the messy bowls and measuring cups. She pinned Wyatt with a look but he just smiled, “I’ll clean it up, I promise.” 

Lucy straightened the crumpled kitchen rug while Wyatt opened the drawer next to the stove to pull out another spatula and ripped off a paper towel to wipe out the frying pan.

They moved around each other fluidly as Lucy fixed herself a cup of coffee and Wyatt poured more batter into the pan.

“What do we have here?” Lucy asked as she took a seat in one of the chairs across from the girls. She tucked her leg underneath her, thankful for the thick flannel pj bottoms she wore because the wood of the chair was cold underneath her. 

“I drew a el— el— el-e-phant!” Flynn snatched up her piece of paper to show Lucy the hot pink blob of scribbled artwork on the page. 

“It’s beautiful, honey! Do you want to go put it on the fridge?” Lucy asked, as she leaned across the table to reach a napkin. 

“Mhmm,” Flynn answered, as she started to race off before she stopped herself and walked softly across the floor. She grabbed one of her alphabet magnets off of the bottom of the fridge, where she could reach it and placed it on top of her drawing. 

“What did you color, Amy-darling?” Lucy asked, leaning her head on her hand after she took a sip of her hot coffee.

“A butterfly.” Amy scooted it across the table so that Lucy could see.

“Oh, how pretty! I like the blue and the purple.” 

“Thank you,” Amy smiled before accepting it back. She grabbed another crayon from the basketful in front of her and went back to coloring.

The pop and sizzle of bacon hitting the frying pan coincided with Lucy’s stomach growling and she got up from the chair to walk back over to Wyatt, “How much longer? I’m sure the twins are getting hungry. I know I am.” 

“Just gotta wait for this bacon to cook and we’ll be aces,” Lucy gave him a strange look, “What? I’ve been reading some Sherlock Holmes.” 

“I envy you. I never have time to read for fun,” Lucy pouted playfully.

“Hey, today’s your day off, you can read fiction to your heart’s content but you should probably wait till after breakfast.” 

“You’re probably right,” Lucy laughed, the twins were notoriously messy eaters, she just hoped they gained better table manners by the time they went to kindergarten. 

“I don’t know what to do about that… they’re exceedingly smart for their age but teaching them table manners hasn’t worked. Were you a messy baby and never told me?” 

“I’m flattered you think I can remember that far back but I have no memory of being a baby and I never had any baby pictures or anything like that when I was little… I guess that all went out the window when I lost my mom. Grandpa Sherwin probably had some pictures of me as well but I was overseas when he passed so it wasn’t like I could come back home to collect his effects.”

“I’m sorry, Wyatt. I didn't even think when I asked that…” 

“It’s okay. It doesn't hurt so much now that I have all of this. We’ll make new memories, right?” Wyatt hugged her with one arm as she cuddled up to him. 

“I always thought it would feel lonely for the twins, without aunts, uncles and cousins… grandparents, but I think we did pretty well with the family we chose, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah, Rufus is the perfect uncle who leaves them unsupervised with small computer parts and Mason with his gifts that he insists on buying them.”

“That’s true but they love them, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Of course,” Wyatt turned the bacon again as he reached for a plate out of the cabinet and a paper towel to drain the bacon on. 

“Plus Jiya and Denise do a really good job with them. I hope that counteracts Mason’s extravagance and Rufus’s lack of discipline so they don’t get too spoiled.” 

“I thought that was the whole point of having children… spoiling them?” Wyatt smiled, picking up the plate of bacon while Lucy retrieved the platter of pancakes for the table. 

“Is that right..? You can be the one to deal with their tantrums then,” she teased, as she crossed to the kitchen table. 

The girls cheered when the plate of heart shaped pancakes landed on the table, Flynn immediately reaching for one but she pulled her hand back at Wyatt’s stern look. 

“Hold up there, lil firecracker. Everyone has to be seated before we eat, right?” 

Flynn nodded and sat back, while Amy helped her daddy clean the crayons and coloring books away. Lucy walked over to the fridge to get the milk, while Wyatt grabbed the dinner plates and silverware after he finished helping Amy.

Wyatt passed out the plates, one pancake and one piece of bacon for each little girl, while Lucy poured the milk before sitting down in her chair. 

“Oh!” Lucy got up after a forlorn look was shared between the girls, “I forgot!” 

Lucy came back with the bottle of syrup and the girls grinned with delight. 

“No ma’am, let me pour the syrup,” Wyatt retrieved the maple syrup bottle from little grasping hands, “I don’t trust you sticky bandits with it.” 

The girls giggled as Wyatt poured out the syrup, eagerly grabbing their forks and going right for their pancakes. Bacon would be for last when they could dip it in the leftover sugary glaze on their plates.

“I see baths in our future,” Lucy whispered to Wyatt, who nodded his head in agreement before shoving a bite of pancakes into his mouth.

“These are pretty good,” Lucy said after a few moments of quiet chewing interspersed by forks squealing on plates and Flynn kicking her legs under the table, “My compliments to the chefs.” 

She smiled at the girls who smiled back, their mouths smeared with syrup and milk mustaches.

“I love you, sweet girls.” She added, the the love she felt for them warming in her chest like a puppy curling up in front of a roaring fireplace. 

“Luh yu too, Mommy,” Flynn said around a bite of pancake that she had just jerked off the fork with her small teeth.

Amy swallowed her milk, smoothing her hand down the front of her nightgown where droplets of milk had dripped off her cup, “I love you mommy and daddy!” she yelled with more exuberance than normal.

“Uh oh, I think the sugar has already gotten to her? What’ll we do, mommy?” Wyatt asked with extra dramatic flair while Amy looked on, a grin splitting her lips and showing off her little gapped front teeth. 

“Daddy! You know what we gotta do?” Amy asked, as she turned to hop off the bench.

“No, what? What do we gotta do?” Wyatt asked in a high, playful voice while Flynn, a mischievous smirk just like her daddy’s curving her lips, hopped up too. She came around the edge of the table and grabbed onto Lucy’s hand pulling her up, unresistanly. 

“We gotta dance!” Amy jumped up like Rocky on top of the library steps, with both hands upraised.

“Can we, mommy?” Flynn asked, pulling on Lucy’s arm as they walked into the living room.

“Of course we can!” Lucy reached down and picked up Flynn. Twirling her in a circle over to the vintage record player that had been her dad’s, she picked out the album that she wanted off of the shelf, and put Flynn back down who ran off to  
tackle Amy with a hug and a smacking, sticky kiss to the cheek. 

The excitable and sugar-dosed girls squealed at the sound of the music starting to play. The trumpets and percussion started off slow and built to a happy crescendo as _How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)_ filled the air. They hung off of each other, their arms looped loosely around each other’s shoulders as they started to spin in a circle.

“I guess that means this dance is mine,” Wyatt teased, as he walked over to Lucy who watched the girls fondly. 

“I guess so,” Lucy smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the upbeat song playing in favor of swaying back and forth, slowly. 

“Are you happy?” Wyatt asked, his gaze serious despite the bright music that surrounded them. 

“Of course I’m happy! Why wouldn’t I be? I have a wonderful husband who loves me and who isn’t too bad to look at…”

Wyatt shook his head, never too comfortable with compliments, but he kissed the side of her head as they continued to sway. 

“And two beautiful daughters who remind me everyday how to be carefree, what family really means and since I lost Amy, what it means to be loved without stipulations or artifice. _Why?_ Aren’t you happy?” 

“ _Yes_. So happy but it doesn’t stop the doubts from creeping in sometimes, you know?” 

“I get it. It’s hard, especially for us, when we know how easy it is to lose someone but also how easily happiness can be stripped away by circumstances beyond our control. I just hope we can protect them from pain like we’ve experienced. I know we can’t protect them forever or even from emotional or physical pain but I hope our love for them will help cushion them when they experience those uncontrollable things.”

“I know. Me too. What is it about today that’s making us so sappy?” Wyatt joked, a bright smile crinkling the skin beside his eyes.

Lucy rolled her eyes, “I don’t know but I hope you have some heart-shaped chocolate stashed away somewhere for when I have a craving later.”

“What do you need chocolate for when you’ve got me.” 

“You’re a different kind of craving, darling,” Lucy insinuated, pinning Wyatt with a sultry stare. Wyatt smirked at her, a promised glance of _later_ interrupted by a ear splitting shriek from the girls who had almost run into the coffee table.

“ _Careful_ ,” Lucy warned, shaking her head at their silliness.

“We better not stay like this for long or we’re going to get knocked over by that little girl tornado,” Wyatt chuckled, watching the girls who shimmied back and forth, their hands linked in front of them like they were playing _London Bridge Is Falling Down_. 

“We should probably intervene before they get dizzy and actually hurt themselves.”

“You’re probably right,” Lucy agreed and they released each other to go after a twin each. 

Amy laughed low in her throat with happiness when Wyatt scooped her up while Flynn squealed as Lucy wrapped her arms around her from behind before lifting her onto her hip. 

“My turn now!” Wyatt teased as he spun Amy in a circle, but he slowed down when she laid her head on his shoulder with contentment.

Lucy grabbed Flynn’s hand like she was directing her around a dance floor, swooping low to the ground and then popping her back up, making her laugh with delight. 

Wyatt and Lucy locked eyes over their children’s heads, thankful that their love had given them a family that they could celebrate, on holidays and every day. One that they created and that may even expand one day. One that they could call their own, where love was as sweet as the sticky syrup kisses that Amy and Flynn gave them.

The record continued to play, the next song leading into the next while their happy family continued to play, dance, laugh and love.


End file.
